Door-operating mechanism



- July 7,1925. 1,544,542 H. AINSWORTH I DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed May 12 1922 3 Sheets -Shet 1 July 7, 1925. 1,544,542

H. G. AINSWORTH DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed M 12, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 7, 192.5.

HQG. AINSWO RTH DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed May 1922 3v Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,544,542 PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY G. AINSWORTH OF ICEN'TLAND, INDIANA.

DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed ma 12, '1922. Serial no. 560,291.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, HARRY G. AINsWORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kentland, in the county of Newton and This invention relates todoor operating mechanism and more particularly to mechanism designed to open and close heavy swlnging doors, such as garage doors; the

operating mechanism being actuated by a;

suitable power device.

The primary object ofthe present invention is to provide improve mechanical means to accomplish the above operation. The, invention consists in the devices and combination of, devices herein illustrated and described, and more particularly point- ;ed out in the appended claims.

With the above and other objects in view,- I refer to the accompanying drawings, in

Fi 1 is an inside view of a structure provide with a. pair of hinged doors, to which the mechanism embodying the present in vention has been applied, part of the view being in section and taken upon the plane indicated by the dotted line 1-1 of Fig Fig. 2 is a top or plan view, partia .section, of said mechanis n.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a detail of the mechanism, partly in section, to show the :locking and unlocking lever.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan detail, partly in section, of a modification.

Fig. 6 is a detail of another modification.

In said drawings, A represents the frame of a suitable garage or other structure, which is provided with a pair of doors, B, B, hinged at b, b; the doors having meeting edges indicated by the vertically disposed line a. C, C, are a pair of horizontally arranged, parallel beams or timbers, positioned in the structure A rate point above the upper edge 0 of the doors B, B, and at right angles to.the position of the doors when closed, as indicated clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. No supports for these timbers or .2. lyin beams C, C, are indicated in the drawings,

as they may-be a part of the building struce ture or they may be secured to the building A in any, convenient or conventional manner. Mounted upon these timbers C, C, by means of pedestals 1, or any other suitable means, is a housin 2, having suitable hear ing for the vertical y arranged, rotatable operating shaft 3. The shaft 3 maybe rotated by any suitable operating mechanism mounted upon or contained'within the housing 2, but-'that shown in the drawings is the mechanism illustrated and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 466; 252, filed May 2nd, 1921, which is recommended as a satisfactory mechanism for operating the shaft .3. i.

, Briefly, the mechanism illustrated comprises a worm gear 4, a worm 5, an electric motor 6, and suitable connections whereby power may be supplied to the motor, through circuit lines 7 and 8, suitable switches indicated at 9, anda belt connection 10 between the motor shaft 10 and, the worm shaft 11. For further details of the operation of this particular operating device, I

- refer to my said copending application.

On the lower end of the operating 'shaft 3 is a crank arm 12, pivotally connected at 13 to a movable block or plate D. Through an intermediate connecting link 14, the plate D has sliding engagement with and between the beams or timbers C, C, which latter form longitudinal guideways for said block or plate D. In the present instance, each of the timbers C is provided on its inside face with suitable groove or guideway 15, and the plate D is provided on its two side margins with laterally extending lugs 16; the

lugs 16, 16 and guideways 15, 15, being complementally arranged so that the plate D may be held between said timbers and yet be moved longitudinally thereof.

It will be understood that upon the rotation of the shaft 3, the crank arm 12 will be rotated from one position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, to the otherposition shown in dotted lines in said figure, with. the re.- sult that the plate D- will be moved toward or away-from the doors B, B, as the case may be.

Each door B, B, is provided with a pair of links 17 18, pivotally joined together at 19. The links 18 are pivotally secured to the back of the door at a point 20, adjacent to the meeting edges on of the doors, while the inner end of each "of the links17 is pivotally secured at 21 to an outstanding-fixed bracket 22, secured usually to the wall of the building A.

The outer end of an actuating 'bar 23 is pivotally secured at 24 to each link 18, the point of attachment being intermediate the pivotal connections 19 and 20. The rear end of each actuating bar 23 is Ipivotally secured at 25 to a sliding plate This plate D is positioned adjacent to .the plate D and is movably secured between the.timbers C, C. Like the plate D, the plate D- is provided with laterally extending lugs 26 which travel in the guideways or grooves 15 of the timbers C, G. The two plates D and D will normally travel in unison. and this may be accomplished by a locking mechanism, shown more fully in Figs. 3 and 4.

Depending from one of the plates. in this instance D, is a bell crank lever 28., pivotally mounted at 27. The lever has a hand hold 29 provided with an engaging jaw or pawl 30-. On the under side of the other plate there is a shoulder or part 31 adapted for engagement with the pawl or jaw 30; as more'clearly shown in Fig. 3. It will be manifest that when the two parts 30 and 31 are in engagement, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the plates D and D will be securely locked together and that when motion is imparted to one plate, acorresponding movement of the other plate will occur.

In Fig.2, the position of. the pivoted links 17 and 18 and the operating links 23 are indicated in full lines, the doors B, B,

being closed. When the doors B, B, are open, these links 17, 18 and 23 assume the positions indicated by the dotted lines. It

will be noted that the links 17 are pivotally stantiall secured to the brackets 22 at a point subin line with the hinges b when extende at right angles to the plane of the door. When the doors are closed, the links 18 lie parallel with the doors and the links 17 stand at an angle to the doors. When the doors are open, the links 17 assume a position almost parallel to the plane of the door when closed, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the links 18 and 23 stand at an angle to the door, as also shown in dotted lines in said Fig.2, their point of pivotal connection, 19, resting somewhat near the timbers C.

I have found that this arrangement and location of the link connections between the brackets 22 and the doors B, B, and their operative connection with the sliding plates D, D, affords a very strong and positive mechanism which responds readily when the motor is actuated, and one in which there is no dead center, whether the movement of,

the plates D, D, be in one direction or the other.

It may be desirable, at times, to separate the plates D and D, and to actuate one of the plates manually without the other, and in such event a simple pull on the hand hold '29 will disconnect the parts 30, 31, and permit of such movement.

In some instances, the hinged door may be jointed, one section of the door being hinged to told u on the other section. In such event the togg e link 18 will not be connected to the swinging edge of the door as above described, but to the outer end of a bracket secured to that section of the'door hinged to the building or fixed support A. 'This is shown in Fig. 5, where the hinged door B is provided with a foldable section B, hinged at b. To the back of the door B, I attach a bracket arm E, to the outer end of which the pivot connection 20 for the toggle link 18 is located. The operation is obvious. In Fig. 6, I have shown another modification. It will be manifest that the movable element or plate D need not slide within or between the two timbers G and that any arrangement will answer whereby longitudinal movement is attained. In

the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6, the- Manifestly various other modifications may "be made Without departing from the principle of my invention of the toggle arr'angement, a movable element, means for actuating the same and operative connections between the toggles and said movable element.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means'for operating doors comprising in combination with a fixed support, a door hinged thereto and fixed guideways, a pair of plates movable in said guideways, toggle links operatively connecting one of said plates and the door, a motor for actuating one of said plates and means on one plate adapted for operatively engaging the other, whereby the two plates may move in unison, said means including a pivoted lever and pawl.

2. Door operating mechanism comprising a hinged door, a fixed guide, a movable element associated with the guide, an operating unit, having operative connections to actuate and an operating link pivotally connecting one of said toggle links with said movable element. I y

3. Door operating mechanism comprising a hinged door, a fixed guide positioned above the door normal to the lane of the door when the latter is close an element associated with the guide and movable longitudinally with respect thereto, an operating unit operatively connected with said movable element, a pair of pivotally connected link, by

toggles or links, the free end of one being pivotally attached to the back of the door and that of the other similarly attached to a fixed support located back of the door, and a connecting link pivotally attached to the movable element and to that member of the toggle which is attached to the door.

4. Means for operating doors comprising in combination with a fixed support and a door hinged thereto, of a guideway, a movable element, an operating link pivotally secured at one end to said plate, a pair of pivotally connected links, the free end of one of said links being pivotally connected to the fixed support at a point removed from but substantiall in line with the door hinge and the free en of the otherlink being pivotally connected to the back of the door near its non-hinged edge, a pivotal connection intermediate the ends of the last mentioned which the operating link is connected thereto, an operating shaft, a crank on said shaft, a link connecting the crank with said element and means for rotating the shaft.

5. Means for operating doors comprising 'in combination with a fixed support and a door hinged thereto, of a fixed ideway, a movable element, an operating link pivotally secured at one end to said plate, a toggle com rising two links pivotally connected, the rec end of one toggle link being pivotally connected to the fixed support at a point removed from but substantially in line with the door hinge and the free end of the other toggle link being pivotally connected to the back of the door near its non-hinged edge, a pivotal connection intermediate the ends of the last mentioned toggle link by which the operating link is connected thereto, an operating shaft, a crank on said shaft, 9. link connecting the crank with said movable element and means including an electrically operated motor for actuating said movable element.

In testimony that as my invention I afiix my piesence of two witnesses,

HARRY G. AINISWORTH.

Witnesses:

MARY ONnmn, H. WALKER DENNEY.

I claim the foregoing signature, in the this 8th day of 

